Tales Of The Slayer,The Samurai,and The Whte Knght
by M. Scott Eiland
Summary: With Jack now a permanent resident of Sunnydale, Buffy and her friends continue to deal with the hazards of Sunnydale—and the results are unpredictable. Followup to “Silk and Sandals” and “Blades and Bonds”
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: All of these characters remain the property of their owners/creators. . .I'm just borrowing them for a spell. . .

Time Frame: From just after "Innocence" to somewhat post-"The Replacement," with the canon timeline changed to reflect the events in my earlier stories "Silk and Sandals" and "Blades and Bonds."

Archiving: Be my guest, but e-mail me to let me know. . .I like to know where stuff I write ends up and I might want to see what else you've got.

TALES OF THE SLAYER, THE SAMURAI, AND THE WHITE KNIGHT

PART ONE—IDENTITY ISSUES

Valentine's Day was always a big night at The Bronze, and this year was no exception. Willow beamed as she watched Oz and the rest of the Dingoes play in front of the packed house. Buffy sat quietly next to her, trying to enjoy herself and—to her own surprise—mostly managing to do so. Every so often her gaze fell on Xander and Cordelia on the dance floor, and she quickly turned away each time, trying to find something to keep her mind off her friend. Nearby, Giles and Jenny sat quietly at a table, looking at their young charges with mixed amusement and concern.

Out on the dance floor, the reactions of those around Xander and Cordelia were mixed, to put it mildly. When the couple had first walked into plain view, Harmony and the rest of Cordelia's old flock had pointedly turned their backs on them and walked off, and there were more than a few snickers from those lower in the campus pecking order. The snickering stopped when the music started up and Xander began to dance with Cordelia. He moved like a panther, leading Cordelia effortlessly and giving her non-verbal cues that she followed without hesitation. Before long, the other dancers around them had stopped to watch them as the song approached its end. Xander leaned in, swept Cordelia into the air with what seemed to be an effortless exertion of strength, then caught her and dipped her to the ground as the last notes of the song died out. There was a moment of stunned silence, then the room exploded into cheers, as the students around Xander and Cordelia moved in to congratulate them. Cordelia looked over at where Harmony and the rest of the girls whose opinions had meant so much to her so very recently were watching with shock and naked envy on their faces. She smirked and waved "ba-bye" to the sheep before turning back to Xander and leading him back to the table where Willow and Buffy were sitting.

Willow was still less than thrilled about Xander's romantic choices, but she forced herself to smile as she called out, "That was amazing—where did you learn to dance like that, Xander?"

Xander smiled. "Jack's been giving me a few tips, and the movements involved aren't that different from some of the ones I've been using to train with the katana. Of course, doing it with a real girl instead of a stuffed dummy is a bit different—and a lot more fun—but it turned out that—" Xander paused when he noticed that Buffy and Willow were staring at him with bewildered expressions, and that Giles and Jenny—who had walked up a few seconds earlier—were looking at him as if he had grown antlers. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing—other than the fact that you were speaking in idiomatic Japanese." Giles replied tersely.

Cordelia blinked—clearly only then realizing that Xander had not been speaking in English--and stared at her boyfriend as she muttered, "Well, Daddy will be glad that the three years of language lessons didn't go to waste." She leaned in and smacked Xander on the arm and snapped, "Jack! Quit screwing around with Xander's marbles!"

Xander's expression went blank, and by the time it returned to normal he was already speaking in Jack's calm, measured tones: "Miss Chase—I assure you that I did nothing to Xander, at least not intentionally. I was listening to him speak, and I am so used to simply hearing his thoughts and understanding them immediately that I did not notice he was speaking Japanese until Mr. Giles pointed it out. I have been instructing him in the language, but his command of it just now is far beyond any level he has reached due to that instruction." Jack turned to Giles and added, "I dislike disrupting an evening of fun for you young people, but I believe that we should retire to the library and investigate this further. We may be seeing the beginnings of the personality fusion that I feared when I first summoned the sword back."

Jenny was tempted to laugh at the incongruity of being called "young people" by someone who at least looked like a seventeen year old, but the deadly serious expression on Giles' face sobered her immediately. Willow was already running to the stage to tell Oz they would be leaving, and the others were quickly headed for the door. She frowned in concern and followed.

* * *

Giles bit his lip, then turned to Xander. "I fear that your concern is well justified, Jack—there is definitely a problem here."

_No kidding, Giles_. Buffy shook her head at Giles' ability to understate a problem as she watched Xander's reaction to Giles' evaluation of the tests they had just run. After Xander had allowed Jack to take control, Giles had conducted a lengthy conversation in Japanese before Jack had let Xander take control again. Xander had been able to not only hear the conversation that he should have been oblivious of, but was able to translate what he had heard with little effort, in spite of never having received instruction in advanced Japanese. A few more similar tests had yielded similar results, and the predominant expression on the faces of the occupants of the Sunnydale High library was worry. Buffy frowned and asked tersely, "All right—we knew this was a risk—what can we do about it?"

Buffy was surprised when Willow coughed uncomfortably and replied, "I've been working with Giles and Ms. Calendar to come up with a solution, based on what we've been able to uncover about the spell that Ethan and Aku used and Jack's own comments."

"And why exactly didn't any of you bother to tell me about this?" Xander sounded uncharacteristically irritated at Willow, and after a brief pause that the others readily identified as Jack trying to placate him, he added, "Not to be unreasonable or anything, but it _is_ my life we're talking about here."

"Xander?" Xander blinked once in surprise, then turned to Cordelia as she continued, "Are you a ridiculously smart genius who just finished setting the curve in Computer Science and Psychology while learning about magic in her spare time?" Xander shook his head, and Cordelia pressed on: "No? Then maybe you're a middle-aged English guy who's been trained about demons and dark magic since he was your age?" Xander shook his head again, looking increasingly uneasy, and Cordelia raised an eyebrow as she added, "And I'm pretty sure that you're not Ms. Calendar—I don't swing that way."

There were a few snorts around the room, and Xander flushed crimson. "Very funny—is there a point here?"

Cordelia walked up to Xander and locked eyes with him as she snapped, "My point is, jackass, that you might want to shut up and be grateful you have friends who can help get you out of this mess. You don't know how to get out of it—Jack doesn't even know how to get out of it, and he's older than the rest of us put together. So sit down, zip it up, and do what they tell you."

Xander stared, and seemed to zone out again before glaring at Cordelia and finding a chair at a table in the corner where he sat down and sulked visibly.

Giles noted that Willow was preoccupied with staring at Cordelia as if the cheerleader had just grown a second head, and decided to resume the explanation: "The basic problem we face is that the spell cast by Aku was designed to deal with only one consciousness at a time—it was to bury the resident consciousness then—if the target won the challenge—to allow the dismissal of the original resident consciousness permanently. Jack's sense of honor ended up creating a situation that the spell was not meant to deal with, and the situation ended up re-stabilizing with Jack voluntarily submerging himself in what was more or less a dual personality. As long as he stayed submerged, there was little threat involved to either, as he was entirely passive and simply observed what was going on." Cordelia coughed uncomfortably, and Xander gave her an apologetic look as Giles continued, "Once Jack re-emerged due to the crisis, the main thing keeping the two personalities separate was Jack's own disciplines of the mind—and with the addition of the divine katana that is starting to prove inadequate even faster than we feared."

Xander sighed. "All right, G-man." Giles twitched slightly, finding the appellation as distasteful as always but seeing it as a sign that Xander was re-asserting his familiar personality. The young man smiled at the reaction and continued, "Good recap, but what do we do about it? We haven't used the sword since we took out the Judge, so we're not making it any worse that way right now. What's the big plan?"

"Practice, practice, practice—and another spell." Everyone turned to Jenny, who had been waiting for Giles to finish the setup. She walked over to a nearby whiteboard and said, "Jack and Xander have to co-exist in the same mind and body while still retaining their individuality and their connection with reality—it won't do to simply wall one of them off indefinitely until we can safely exorcise Jack." She drew a circle, then divided it into three parts, which she labeled as "X," "J," and "X/J," with the "X/J" part taking up half the circle. She turned back to her quietly watching friends and continued, "We've discovered a spell that will help shore up the power of Jack's mental discipline, let Xander have a safe harbor in which to develop his own, and will allow both personalities to co-exist at the same time without erosion as long as both avoid certain activities."

"Well, that sounds perfect—why didn't you just bring this to Xander and Jack in the first place?" Buffy asked.

"Well, we only finished tweaking it two days ago." Willow replied, looking at Xander with concern, "and we wanted to wait to make sure it was really required—it isn't going to be a picnic for either of them." She walked over to Xander and took a deep breath before addressing him, "After the spell is cast, you're going to have to set up a schedule: six hours a day, Xander will be alone with Jack submerged. For six more hours a day, you switch: Jack is dominant while Xander is submerged. During those times, the submerged personality will be completely unaware of what is going on, and the dominant personality will have no access to any special abilities or knowledge possessed by the submerged personality unless both of you have actively discussed and reviewed the memories."

Xander nodded slowly, then asked: "What about the other twelve hours a day?"

"Well, you can't keep the separation up while you sleep, so that will take care of at least half of it. The rest of it. . .that's going to be up to you two to work out, Xander. If you use the time during school hours, you can keep from having to use your "alone" time for school and interaction with people who don't know your secret." Xander frowned, and Willow knew that he had just realized that he would need to keep up appearances quite a bit under the new arrangement—and that Jack would need to continue to use his acting abilities at times. She continued, "Jack—during the times you are dominant, engaging in activities that are intimately associated with your personality will help you strengthen the barriers. The best ways to do this would be to continue your ki exercises, and—"

"Summoning back my katana." Jack's calm tones interrupted Willow. "Rather ironic that the source of the current problem should also help solve it."

Willow nodded. "Best not to overdo it, though—that weapon is powerful enough to possibly cause you to overwhelm your barriers from the inside if you keep it around constantly. Just feel free to summon it at need, and for maybe an hour or so a day if you wish to train with it." Jack nodded, and Willow continued, "Also—you must never summon it when you are sharing time with Xander—that will cause a recurrence of the same problems you're having now." She shifted uncomfortably, and hesitated for a moment before muttering, "Also, Xander—there are a few things that you should only do when you are 'alone' and never when sharing time with Jack."

"OK—what are they?" Willow flushed, and Xander pressed. "What are they, Will?"

Xander heard an exasperated sigh behind him, and then Cordelia was there, glaring at him and muttering, "What she's trying to say is that the next time you try to drag me into a broom closet, there had better be only two of us in there."

Giles and Jenny turned away and seemed to be inspecting the stacks. Buffy let out a sound that sounded suspiciously like a muffled giggle. Willow turned bright red and stared down at her feet. Xander hesitated, and was still considering a response when Cordelia leaned forward and whispered in Xander's ear for a few moments. Xander blinked and stared at Cordelia for a moment before calling out, "Well, I happen to think this is the best plan ever—let's get started."

The others relaxed and Willow walked away, heading for a pile of books and notes. Cordelia was turning away, concealing the relief on her face, when she heard a calm voice call out: "Miss Chase?"

_Uh oh_. Cordelia turned back and saw a reproving expression on her boyfriend's face. "Yes, Jack—what is it?"

Jack shook his head in mild dismay and replied, "While I find your efforts to insure that Xander's full efforts will be devoted to finalizing this plan to be admirable, I would appreciate it in the future if you would give me enough warning to retreat so as to avoid overhearing. . .your description of the incentive plan."

Cordelia winced slightly. "Sorry." Jack nodded once, and his expression went blank as Xander re-emerged.

* * *

"Didn't hear a thing—looks like the soundproofing is back in my head." Xander sounded relieved as he reported to Giles about his perceptions after the spell had been cast and Jack had taken control. "It was kind of peaceful—even better than it was before we summoned the sword and Jack took control to—" Cordelia cleared her throat menacingly, and Xander flinched and concluded, "Anyway, it seems to be working fine. Jack says I'll have to practice to get it working as well when I'm alone, but that shouldn't be a problem."

"Good." Giles' relief was mirrored on the faces of the others in the room, and he looked at them with concern and ordered, "I think we've had enough excitement for one night. Buffy—you may dispense with patrol tonight, and I advise everyone else to get a good night's sleep."

Cordelia had already gathered her possessions and immediately headed for the exit, not waiting for Xander. She was feeling a little shaky after the events of the night and she wasn't about to show weakness if she could help it—

"Cordelia."

Cordelia stopped in her tracks and turned around, surprised at the identity of the person who had followed her. "What? Shouldn't you be back with Xander, making sure that your little brain zapping mojo didn't do any harm?"

Willow set her jaw and snapped back: "Shouldn't you?"

Cordelia raised an eyebrow at the shot across her bow. "What's it to you? I'd think you'd be happy if Xander wasn't being exposed to the 'evil, skanky woman' as much."

Willow reeled a little as she realized that Cordelia was quoting back her own words at her, and was silent for a moment before muttering, "Well, I didn't mean for you to hear that—hasn't anyone ever told you that eavesdropping isn't nice?"

"I'm sorry—I must have missed that day at evil skank school." Cordelia took a moment to watch Willow squirm, then snapped, "All right—awkward social moment over. What do you want?"

Willow blinked, sighed once, then muttered: "Look. . .I just wanted to say thank you for helping talk Xander into doing the right thing. . .even if I don't want to think about your methods."

Cordelia shrugged. "I don't know about you, but I don't like an audience for certain things, even if it is, well, a big superhero type. I wouldn't want Buffy there, either. Jack doesn't seem to want to—"

"Do you love him?" Willow's question made Cordelia stop in mid-sentence. Willow did not recoil at the glare that Cordelia directed at her and pressed: "Do you love Xander?"

"What right do you have to ask me that question? I've known Oz a lot longer than you have—how would you like it if I started getting in your face asking if you loved him?" Cordelia shook her head in exasperation and snapped, "What is your problem, anyway?"

"You weren't the only one eavesdropping that night." Willow saw the "duh" expression on Cordelia's face, and amended, "Well, you knew that, because you were eavesdropping. Anyway—I thought that you were seeing Xander because of the effects that Jack had on him—"

"Even though Jack said that wasn't true." Cordelia sounded subdued.

"Well—yes." Willow sounded embarrassed, and she turned away from Cordelia as she continued, "I mean, it made sense—Xander never liked you before Jack came along, and suddenly he's all over you? What am I supposed to think? But I've been watching, and as much as I don't like it, when he's with you he's still Xander—and you seem to be OK with that. It still creeps me out, but I can live with it. . .but it would make me feel better if he wound up with someone who loved him."

Cordelia looked carefully at Willow, and a dormant empathetic impulse came to the surface. She sighed and gestured at a nearby bench, and they sat silently for a few minutes before Cordelia sighed and said, "I don't really get it either. Jack tried to explain it to me, but even with his weird people reading thing it's not like he's inside my head. It's just that. . .when I'm with him, no matter what we're doing—fighting or going into one of those damned closets, I just feel comfortable, like I'm where I'm supposed to be. I don't know if it's love, but it feels right—and I'm not giving it up without a fight." She turned to look at Willow and concluded, "So if you're saying you're not going to try to mess with what Xander and I have, then thanks—but I'm not asking for permission from anyone."

Willow frowned, then nodded. "I'm getting that." She extended a hand. "Truce?"

Cordelia hesitated, then grasped the extended hand firmly. "Truce."

Willow smiled hesitantly, then stood up and left without another word. Cordelia sat for a few moments, then called out, "You know, Willow's right—eavesdropping is rude."

Xander emerged from the shadows, but it was Jack's voice that responded, "My apologies, Miss Chase. I have a light step, and by the time I reached this spot I realized that my presence would disrupt what seemed to be an important conversation between you and Miss Rosenberg. I was about to slip away when you called out to me."

Cordelia smirked. "I've learned a few tricks lately that help with people sneaking up on me."

"So it would seem." Jack noted laconically as he walked over to Cordelia and commented, "Your behavior just now was quite honorable—you could have easily been far less sensitive to her feelings."

Cordelia shrugged. "Xander would be mad if I was too nasty to her without her starting it—and she's known him since they were babies: if she really thought I was bad for him she'd really make a mess of things." She looked over at Jack and added, "From what I overheard, even you don't want to cross her."

Jack shrugged noncommittally, and Cordelia decided to change the subject: "So what's it like for you now?"

Jack smiled slightly and stretched as he replied, "I'm going to need to train extensively during these times—with Xander 'gone' I don't have his mental cues telling me what his body is capable of, so I still have a tendency to try to do things that I could do with my old body—the young version of it. If I don't train appropriately, I'm going to end up dislocating something important. Fortunately, I believe the power from this—" Jack held out his right hand, and the divine katana appeared in it "—will help with the process."

"So—you're going to be training like crazy and turning Xander's body into one that can handle the moves of a superhero sword master and martial artist?" Cordelia was staring at Jack with an expression that implied that she had just found gold.

"Umm. . .yes." Jack replied, wondering at Cordelia's reaction.

Cordelia nodded, and stepped forward. Jack was startled as she leaned in and kissed him directly on the lips. The kiss was dry but rather forceful, and it was a moment before Jack stepped back and whispered, "Miss Chase—that was completely—"

"Inappropriate, I know." Cordelia replied. Jack stared at her, baffled, as the cheerleader looked at him and added, "Jack—I want you to tell Xander about that kiss, after you tell him what you told me just before it happened. I'm pretty sure he'll understand why I did it."

Jack blinked. "If you say so, Miss Chase." He bowed once, politely, then retreated, trying not to seem as if he was fleeing.

Cordelia watched him leave in silence—but inside she was laughing like a madwoman. Her life had just gotten more complicated, but a lot more fun. She continued to look the way Jack had gone for a few more moments, then left the hallway.

As always, comments are welcomed and desired.


	2. Chapter 2

PART TWO—TRUST

Willow bit her lip and silently repeated the complex Tibetan phrase that Giles had taught her as a means of centering herself while she pursued her studies of magic. It was coming in handy right then—it almost completely stifled the urge she was having to smack Cordelia and shake some sense into Xander. –He's happy with her, and she's not as shallow and useless as you always thought—let him work it through on his own-- Willow nodded once to herself, reached out and squeezed Oz's hand to further aid her quest for serenity, and managed finally to look ahead to where Xander and Cordelia were still far too close to each other as they looked around for potential dangers.

Willow's problem was arising from the fact that—unlike most nights—the four of them were out together as a group, without Buffy as a more-or-less neutral party to keep some of the natural tensions from rising to the surface. The cause was a rather mundane one: Buffy had come down with the flu that had hit half the school—along with Jenny, who had gladly handed off her computer class to Willow—and she was in no condition to patrol, a fact which became obvious when she entered the library at three-thirty, gave everyone present a sickly smile, and promptly lost her lunch on top of the dreadfully rare fifteenth century folio on the hunting patterns of demons of the Seventh Pale that Giles had been translating painstakingly for the past three days. Giles had quietly counted to ten, then asked Cordelia and Xander to take Buffy home and make sure she retired to her room with plenty of fluids and aspirin.

They had gotten her there with little protest from the patient, but Buffy had belatedly remembered that she had patrol duty that night, and it was only after Xander had firmly promised that they would patrol in her place that Buffy had relaxed and dropped off into slumber. When they had returned to the library, Giles had offered to drop the research he was working on to accompany the Scoobies on patrol, but Willow—noting that Giles had grown a bit somber during Jenny's enforced absence—suggested that he stay in, and that a phone call to a certain sick colleague might not be such a bad idea.

So it was that the four Scoobies were on patrol alone, with Xander and Cordelia taking the lead and causing Willow's teeth to grind, while Oz—oblivious to his girlfriend's disgruntled mood—experimented with using his enhanced senses to detect dangers. As Willow began the Tibetan phrase for the eighth time, Oz stopped suddenly, looked around, then pointed off to the left as he called out: "Fighting sounds coming from over there."

The four Scoobies looked at each other, then started running in the direction that Oz had pointed. About a minute later, they burst into a clearing and saw four vampires surrounding a very familiar figure: Buffy. She was visibly bruised, though she was still fighting back: one of the vampires burst into dust as the others continued to attack, battering the Slayer and staggering her. Xander drew a stake and charged directly at the largest vampire, knocking it away from Buffy with a vicious flying tackle that audibly snapped bones on the demon as it and Xander tumbled away about ten feet. The other vampires were distracted by the abrupt move, and Buffy used the opening to stake another vampire. She looked ready to drop, and the remaining vampire was advancing with a grin when a vial of holy water shattered on his skull, causing him to shriek in pain and stop in his tracks. Two seconds later, Oz's stake had reduced him to dust.

Willow sighed in relief, then looked over to where Xander was—and gasped in shock. Xander was circling the remaining vampire with inhuman grace, and blocking blows from the still-dangerous demon with ease. She called out, "Xander!"

"He's not Xander any more, Willow." Cordelia's voice was grim: Buffy had passed out, and Oz was binding her wounds and checking her for more serious injuries. The cheerleader walked next to Willow and elaborated, "Look at his eyes."

Willow looked, and she immediately saw what Cordelia was talking about. Xander's eyes were calm—frighteningly so. She had seen how Xander looked when one of his friends had been hurt, and—in spite of Jack's influence—that wasn't it. She was about to call out to Jack when Cordelia beat her to it: "Damn it, Jack—quit dancing with the vampire! We need to get Buffy to the hospital!"

Jack blinked, and Willow and Cordelia both thought they saw a brief nod before they saw his hands move in a blur. . .and then there was only dust falling to the ground, and Jack putting away the stake he had drawn in the prior split second. He walked over to Willow and Cordelia and bowed slightly before looking directly at Cordelia and saying in an even tone: "My apologies, Miss Chase--Miss Rosenberg. I'm still learning the limits of Xander's body, and the opportunity to test the effects of the recent training against a live foe distracted me from the crisis at hand."

Cordelia's lips thinned, but she nodded, and Jack moved over to Buffy and Oz. He placed his hands on Buffy's forehead and seemed to concentrate for a moment before turning to Oz and ordering, "Oz—give me the keys to your van—I'll drive it over here. She's got a concussion and we shouldn't try to carry her to the hospital."

Oz nodded and handed Jack the keys. Jack nodded back at Oz and immediately sprinted out of sight. Willow turned to Cordelia and shook her head as she said, "I wonder if he's ever going to be able to do that jumping thing that he was doing when he beat Aku—that was amazing." Cordelia seemed to freeze for a moment, and Willow hesitated for a moment before amending, "Of course, none of us want to see Xander's body doing disturbingly superhuman things any time soon."

Cordelia glanced over at Willow with an ambivalent expression for a moment before sighing and replying, "I guess I had it coming—I actually kissed Jack when he told me what his plans were for getting Xander in shape. I mean—who wouldn't want their boyfriend to suddenly develop a body that would make an Olympic athlete look like a couch potato? But. . .Jack's going to be pushing Xander's body to the limits, and if he makes a mistake—"

"He won't, Cordelia." Willow saw the worry on Cordelia's face, and the residual irritation she was feeling about the whole Xander/Cordelia thing ebbed away—at least for that moment. She reached out and squeezed Cordelia's arm reassuringly, and Cordelia didn't pull away. Willow smiled softly and added, "Jack's been trying to protect Xander all along—he knows that Xander is going to throw himself into these fights whether he's ready for them or not. You've seen how he is when he thinks one of us is in trouble." Cordelia nodded reluctantly, and Willow concluded, "Cordelia—Jack beat Aku twice: I'm pretty sure he's up to keeping Xander safe."

Cordelia looked over in the direction that Jack had departed in and whispered menacingly, "He had better be."

Willow had no answer to that, and they waited for a few more moments until Jack returned with the van.

* * *

Buffy stirred, then opened her eyes gradually. She ached all over, and the fever she was experiencing was causing her view of the world to shimmer. She tried to focus on her surroundings, and was rewarded with the sight of a small room that was not her own—and a familiar face. She forced herself to sit up slightly and whispered, "Xander?"

Xander nodded, and leaned in so Buffy would not have to strain her voice. Buffy looked around and her eyes widened in fear. Xander leaned in and touched her shoulder as he explained, "Buffy—you went out after we left you and you got attacked by vampires. We found you in time and brought you to the hospital. You've got a concussion and a couple of fractures—the doctor's going to be back in to take a look at you in a few minutes."

Buffy flushed in embarrassment. _Giles must be furious with me: it was really stupid to go out as sick as I was_. Xander noted Buffy's expression and commented, "Giles called your house, but your mom wasn't home."

"In San Diego. . .arranging a shipment to the gallery." Buffy's head was spinning, but she knew that Giles and the others would want to know about her mom so they could cover correctly. "She's staying at the Hilton in La Jolla."

Xander nodded. "I'll tell Giles." He watched her squirm under his quiet gaze for a moment, then broke the silence again: "It was a close call, Buffy: if we had gotten there a minute later—"

"I know." Buffy whispered, looking mortified. Xander gave her a small smile to let her know he wasn't mad at her, and after a moment the Slayer added, "Obviously, my brain wasn't exactly in 'Mr. Einstein' mode—and I just kept thinking that I couldn't leave you guys out there alone—"

"I get it, Buffy." Xander sighed, and was about to add something when the doctor walked in. Xander stepped back to give them some privacy, but he could hear Buffy protesting, and the doctor replying in calm tones. After a moment, the doctor left—giving Xander a 'maybe she'll listen to reason from you' look before heading down the hallway—and Xander went back over to Buffy, who was looking very uncomfortable. Xander smiled at her and asked, "What's wrong? The idea of all the Jell-O you can eat for the next couple of days doesn't sound fun?"

Buffy was drifting off; apparently, the doctor had given her some medication to relax her. "I just don't like hospitals very much. . ." Her eyes closed, and Xander frowned and pulled the covers up for her.

_She'll be all right. She just needs rest and an attentive guard_. Jack's mental voice intruded into Xander's worried musing. _Those meditative techniques I've been teaching you will put off the need for sleep for a few days, though it'll catch up with us later._

"I've got no problem with that." Xander whispered, as he continued to watch Buffy as the night dragged on.

* * *

Xander—alone with his thoughts for the moment--was pondering a quiet lesson that Jack had given him earlier about tracking when he realized that Buffy's eyes were open and that she was staring at the open door with a disbelieving expression as she tried to sit up in bed. He reached out and restrained her and whispered, "Hey—none of that. You need to rest and get better. What's wrong?"

"There's a monster out there—tall, ugly face, wearing a coat. He's following a little boy who just peeked in here. I've got to stop it—" Buffy raised a finger and pointed and rasped, "I just saw it, Xander—you've got to let me get it."

Xander—who had been keeping one eye on the doorway and had seen nothing after the boy left--opened his mouth to start to reassure her that it was just a fever. . .but he saw the look in her eyes and something clicked in his mind. He stood up and whispered, "I'll take care of it, Buffy—just rest."

Buffy's eyes showed doubt for a moment, but she saw the absolute trust and determination in Xander's eyes and relaxed, dropping back into sleep.

Xander bit his lip, then dropped the conscious separation he was keeping between his personality and Jack's: _I think we've got a problem, Jack._

Xander heard a note in Jack's mental voice that always had him believing that the ancient samurai was nodding as he replied: _Indeed, Xander: I sense a presence of evil in this immediate area that goes beyond what can be explained by the Hellmouth, and I do not believe it is vampires. We should summon help to guard Buffy and investigate this_.

Xander reached for the phone immediately, but stopped when Jack added quietly: _Your faith in Buffy is to be commended, Xander: you didn't have decades of training to tell you that Buffy wasn't delusional_—

"Didn't need it," Xander replied, reaching for the phone again and punching in Giles' number. "Buffy's wrong sometimes, but I'm still way ahead betting on her being right."

Jack was silent, but Xander sensed that his friend was in complete agreement on that subject. He frowned, and waited for Giles to pick up his line.

* * *

Giles arrived fifteen minutes later, and Xander only hesitated long enough to nod to him before getting up and heading out into the hallway. For the moment, he and Jack had decided to both stay conscious, to give them the benefit of both Jack's ability to sense evil and Xander's knowledge of the local world. The decision to seek out the children's ward had been an obvious one, and Xander moved quietly to that doorway—only to have Jack whisper in his mind: _I sense great evil behind this door, Xander. I may need to_--

_I understand_—Xander replied. _We don't have Slayer or Scooby backup this time. Just let me know how it went down when it's over_.

With that decided, Xander opened the door and saw a number of beds containing kids who were sitting up in them and pointing at one bed with terrified expressions on their faces. Xander saw that the kid on that bed was struggling with something, and clearly losing. At that moment, Xander thought: _Take over, Jack_!—and knew no more.

Jack immediately broke into a dead run and leapt at the bed, aiming a tackle at what appeared to be thin air. He hit something solid and knocked it off the bed as he rolled to one side and landed on his feet, and was about to summon his katana when he felt a change in the air currents and reacted instinctively by performing a block. The incoming attack was deflected, but the defensive move was not without cost—three claw marks appeared on Xander's right arm, and the wounds bled freely. Jack glared at the air in front of him and performed a complex maneuver that combined a palm strike, a boxing cross, and a sweep, and was rewarded with a loud grunt, a thump, and the sound of running footsteps heading towards the back door of the ward. Jack prepared to follow, but the cry of one of the children stopped him in his tracks: "Mister, that monster is really bad—you should call the police!"

Jack turned and saw the child looking at him with fever-bright eyes. He smiled and replied, "I'm sorry, young man—but there's no time. That monster must be stopped." The back door opened, then began to close, but Jack caught it before it clicked closed and pulled it open again before stepping in and letting it close behind him. He saw a nearby door that was marked "BASEMENT ACCESS" click closed, and he ran for it, knowing from both the closing door and his own instincts that the creature would try to draw him into an isolated area to slay him without interference.

The basement was as dark as Jack would have expected it to be, and he took a moment to summon his katana before moving inward—the creature was invisible to him, and his blindfighting skills were woefully rusty, as he had discovered in the children's ward. He needed the edge that a one-shot kill would give him, and there were no inconvenient witnesses to prevent him from using the weapon. He carefully concentrated, hoping to pick up the stench of evil in time to finish the battle.

_So, it **is** you, samurai. I did not know for certain until you drew that blade_.

Jack's eyes widened, and he called out, "Who are you—and why are you trying to harm those children?"

_They are my prey, samurai: I draw their lifeforces away to sustain me_. The mental voice sounded amused, and Jack gritted his teeth as the voice continued: _I was at Aku's court when you slew him a thousand years ago, and I heard rumors that it was you who slew him again when he managed to return_.

"So you want to avenge your dead master, foul creature?" Jack continued to search, knowing that the creature was trying to distract him enough to strike a killing blow.

Jack heard a low chuckle before the creature replied, _Don't be a fool. Aku's death freed me to serve my own ends. I should thank you. . .but the fact that you're trying to kill me causes me to conclude that my honor only demands this offer: leave this place now, and never interfere with me again, and I shall spare your life. Otherwise, you will not leave this place alive_.

Jack raised his blade and replied evenly: "Do your worst, monster. No murderer of children will walk free in this place as long as I breathe."

_As you wish_. The attack followed immediately after the final words, and it came in low, as four claw marks appeared across Xander's stomach. Jack immediately tried to bring the hilt of the katana down to stun the creature, but the attack came down on empty air, and Jack frowned in annoyance as he looked down at the wounds. They were relatively shallow, but he was losing blood quickly, and with a deadly attacker in the immediate area, he knew that stopping to bind the wounds was not an option. He considered withdrawing, but he knew what the young man whose body he shared would say about that—the creature had to be stopped, no matter the cost. He gathered his will against the growing sense of light-headedness he was experiencing from blood loss, and resumed his search.

It was only due to his hard-won discipline that he managed to avoid shouting when he saw the faint outline twenty feet away from him, slowly creeping in his direction. The outline became more solid by the second, and by the time it was twelve feet away, Jack could see it clearly: a tall, cloaked figure with a terribly ugly face full of teeth, and long clawed hands that dripped with Xander's blood. Jack carefully kept his expression neutral and turned slightly away from the creature as he wondered why he could see it. . .then it hit him: the children in the ward were feverish, and that allowed them to see the creature. He was suffering from enough blood loss to make him dizzier by the moment, and that was giving him similar insight. The cost had been great, though: he was swaying on his feet, and he doubted that he could chase down the creature if it chose to flee long enough for him to expire from blood loss. After a moment, he assumed an angry expression, turned away from the creature, and bellowed "You hide in the shadows like a dung beetle! Even invisible and unwounded, you are too cowardly to face me! Aku must have been scraping the bottom of the barrel when he recruited you!" He heard the soft steps coming up behind him, and he glared directly in front of him as he shouted, "Oh ho! You dare to confront me then? Have at it!" He swung the great blade in front of him in slow, exaggerated arcs that a well-trained child could have avoided, and Jack could hear the low chuckles in his mind as the creature moved behind him for the kill. . .

. . .only to have Jack turn on his heel and deliver a single blow that made the air scream as if in pain. The creature stayed perfectly still for a moment, before its head tumbled from its shoulders and its body crumpled to the ground. Jack stared at the corpse, dismissed the katana, and staggered back towards the stairs upward, leaving a wide crimson trail in his wake. His head spun, and he went through the next two doors without thinking much about it. He found himself back in the children's ward, and saw the children staring at him in horror—along with Willow and Cordelia. The former May Queen shook her head in mixed affection and anger and muttered: "You idiot."

Jack opened his mouth to protest, but decided to crumple to the floor instead, unconscious before he hit the ground. Willow was already running, shouting for the nearest doctor, while Cordelia tore the sheet from a nearby bed to try to stop the alarming flow of blood from Xander's stomach, as the children watched in silent fascination.

* * *

Xander opened his eyes slowly, and took a moment to appreciate the sensation: given that his last memory was of diving at an invisible monster and ordering Jack to take control, the fact that he retained the ability to draw breath—much less open his eyes—was a matter of no small joy to him. As he lay there, Jack shared the memories of what had happened, and how it had concluded. Xander winced: he was not in pain, but the hazy feeling of painkillers was definitely intruding on his consciousness, and he felt bandages over the places where Jack indicated he had been wounded. He also heard soft breathing to his left, and realized that his physical wounds might be the least of his problems, given Cordelia's last words to Jack before he lost consciousness. He moved his head to view his visitor, and was mildly surprised to see it was Buffy. She looked much better than she had when he last saw her, though her eyes were red and sunken, and she looked as if she had not slept in some time. He grinned at her and commented, "Hey, Buff—looks like a little downtime in the hospital got rid of that flu."

Buffy stared at him in silence for a moment before leaning down and giving him a gentle hug as she whispered, "They had to take you to the emergency room and give you transfusions. . .they said if it had taken two minutes longer—"

"Holy role reversal, Batman!" Xander's voice was a bit ragged, but it had the desired result. Buffy looked up, and after a moment of visible irritation she started laughing through her tears. Xander waited for her to compose herself before he added, "I'll be fine, Buffy. A hospital is a really good place to get mauled by a vicious child-killing demon that's been around since Aku was ruling Jack's homeland." Buffy's eyes widened, and Xander nodded in confirmation. "It got a little talkative before Jack did the Duncan MacLeod thing. He didn't spill his whole backstory, though—did you guys find out what it was after my leaks got plugged?"

Buffy nodded, and explained what they had learned about _Der Kindestod. _Xander nodded when she was done and commented, "Yeah—that sounds like our boy. That ward full of sick kids was like an all-you-can-eat night at the steakhouse for it." Buffy looked away, and Xander sighed and asked, "What's wrong? I'll be fine, you're over the flu, and those kids are safe—seems like a pretty good week's work to me."

Buffy turned back to Xander, and her expression was twisted with guilt as she replied, "You shouldn't have had to risk your life like that—Jack managed to beat that thing even with a fatal wound and human strength. I should have—"

"You were sick as hell and doped up on painkillers, Buffy—and you didn't have a divine katana to even up the odds. It would have killed you and gone on to eat those kids." Xander's tone was gentle, and Buffy looked down in shame. Xander saw her expression and shook his head as he added, "Buffy—if you hadn't spotted that thing, those kids would have died without ever having had a chance. You did your part, and Jack and I did ours. It's all good."

Buffy frowned, then looked up and nodded once before quietly asking, "Xander—could I speak to--?"

"Jack? Yeah, he's on the way." Xander had grown accustomed to this particular request from his friends, accepting it as a price of allowing his new companion to develop his relationships with his friends on his own.

Buffy watched as Xander's eyes lost focus, then went calm. She didn't wait for Jack to announce his presence before blurting out: "Jack—thank you for what you did. If you hadn't been there, I'm sure that Xander would have gone after that thing on his own. . ."

Jack nodded—there was no point in denying what Buffy knew about the character of her friend. "He is a very determined young man, and I am endeavoring to teach him the value of patience and restraint—but in situations like this I doubt I will ever be able to restrain him. He has the spirit of a great warrior, Buffy, and if we are fortunate I will have managed to pass on to him skills to match before I leave this place for the afterlife once again."

Buffy was silent for a moment, and Jack was about to attempt to comfort her when Buffy looked over at him with all of the intensity that was her birthright as a Slayer and commented quietly, "You know—Xander's not the only one we're glad is still with us, Jack."

Jack blinked, startled by the abrupt heartfelt comment, and looked back into Buffy's eyes as he replied, "Thank you—I derive much comfort from your friendship."

Neither of them saw Cordelia standing in the doorway, watching them with a completely blank expression. By the time that Jack released the barriers that separated his consciousness from Xander's, Cordelia had departed without any of the other occupants of the room being the wiser.

As always, comments are welcomed and desired.


End file.
